The present invention addresses the same considerations which are discussed in the background art portion of my above-referenced co-pending application. There, the invention relates to "generic" tooling for making wing panels. Here, I disclose a generic tooling concept for the making of wing spars. The economic considerations for producing generic tooling in the aircraft industry are discussed fully in my other application and therefore need not be repeated here, although it is to be understood my comments there are incorporated herein by reference.
Further, the invention disclosed here is generally related to the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,203,204 and 4,310,964, both of which relate to automated assembly machines for automatically fastening together the components of a wing spar. Many of the cost considerations associated with the production and maintenance of assembly tooling are discussed in these patents. Such considerations are equally applicable to the present invention, although these patents do not address generic tooling concepts.
The Boeing Company, which is the assignee of both of the above-mentioned patents, my co-pending application, and the invention disclosed here, currently uses two wing spar production methods. The first involves the use of a conventional gantry line that dates back to Boeing's production of the B-17. In this method, the spar is drilled by a gantry drill and is then moved to a secondary jig station where spar chord Riv bolts are installed by hand. Afterward, the spar is moved to a third station where stiffener and rib posts are fastened by manual operations.
The second and more modern method utilizes ASAT (Automatic Spar Assembly Tool) tooling of the type disclosed in the above two patents. This method is currently in use in the construction of the more recent models of Boeing aircraft.
Regardless of the particular spar production method used by Boeing, dedicated spar tooling has been put into place for each spar design. The duplication in tooling serves as a cost multiplier which directly impedes Boeing's ability to compete.
The present invention provides a generic spar assembly jig that provides the aircraft manufacturer with the capability of building any wing spar from a single set of tooling. This eliminates unnecessary duplication in tooling and greatly reduces floor space and other facility requirements. The result is an enhancement of the manufacturer's ability to significantly reduce costs and to therefore better compete with not only domestic aircraft manufacturers but also overseas manufacturers who are oftentimes subsidized by their governments.